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October 16th , 2025 Len’s Political Note #759 Oregon 05
2026 General Election
This piece on Janelle Bynum is a bookend to the one on Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. I began the Perez Note asking how someone becomes a conservative and thought that question might fit Janelle Bynum as well. It does not. Janelle Bynum is not so conservative.
Janelle Bynum grew up in Washington DC. She was a quiet, African American girl in a family where both mom and dad were teachers. They wanted her to be conscious of her Black identity and gave her the middle name Sojourner. Sojourner Truth, born in 1797, was an abolitionist, a women’s suffrage advocate, and a temperance figure. Born into slavery in New York State, she escaped to freedom in 1826 and, two years later, sued a white man to regain the son she had left, the first successful lawsuit of its kind. Perhaps Janelle Bynum’s parents wanted her to be feisty, to insist on her rights.
Jennifer Bynum’s parents certainly wanted her to find success. They encouraged weekend and summer activities in DC. Interested in engineering, Janelle Sojourner Bynum found an internship at the Naval Research Lab where she would learn about semiconductor processing. Donald Trump would not have approved — the program targeted minority kids.
Janelle Bynum went on to the Benjamin Banneker magnet high school, but found it boring. She and her father attended a private school fair for minority students run by the Black Students Fund. She found the all-girls Madeira School, a school well-past its scandal of the century. (The Headmistress of this posh school was convicted in 1980 of murdering her former lover.)
The Madeira School Janelle Bynum found had a bit of a whimsical character. Its mascot was a snail. Sports teams were cheered: “Go, go, escargot.” While at Madeira, Janelle Bynum won a Boeing Scholarship that paid her to go to school and offered summer internships. Despite being recruited by selective colleges around the county, she used that scholarship to attend the Historically Black University Florida A & M. At that time Florida A & M, was recruiting top students. According to Janelle Bynum’s recollection, A & M had the most African American merit scholars of any college in the country.
Out of college, Janelle Bynum went to work for General Motors and, through General Motors, got an MBA from the University of Michigan. Years later and pregnant, she was in Taiwan on 9/11 for work. Far away from home and already contemplating what the pregnancy would mean for her future, the attack on the United States hurried her thinking. She decided to leave her General Motors job and international travel. Her mother in law’s need offered a solution.
Janelle Bynum’s husband’s mother was in Oregon contemplating retirement from the four McDonald’s franchises she owned. Would Janelle and Mark be interested in buying the franchises from her? Not every grandmother can lure children and grandchildren from across the country. That offer worked well for everyone. Janelle and Mark Bynum divided the responsibilities. He kept the mechanics of the franchise buildings operating. Janelle took care of the business end.
Janelle Bynum became part of the community of their small city southeast of Portland — Happy Valley. As her four children grew, the schools integrated her into the public life of the city. Appointed to the school board’s equity committee, she took that responsibility more seriously that the school board may have expected. She called them on inequitable treatment of Black kids and the relatively few opportunities for all kids. Remembering Washington DC Mayor Marion Berry more fondly than those of us who read about the scandals, she described what was available to her when she was an adolescent. “Any kid could get a job when he was mayor. I worked at the National Zoo with flying squirrels and iguanas.”
She followed up her disruption of the school system by running for an open state rep seat formerly held by a Democrat. Her Republican opponent was the mayor of Happy Valley, Mayor Loren Chavez-DeRemer had been elected mayor in 2016, the year Donald Trump was elected President. Janelle Bynum defeated Chavez-DeRemer for state rep by a 2 point margin. Like all politicians, Janelle Bynum did not have tenure. She had to win election again. She had to defeat Loren Chavez-DeRemer again. This second time she won by 8 points.
In 2024, Janelle Bynum decided to run for Congress. She won the Democratic primary against formidable competition. One of the analysts talking points was that Janelle Bynum had defeated the freshman incumbent Member of Congress twice before – Loren Chavez-DeRemer. The third time was a charm for Janelle Bynum. It was OK for Chavez-DeRemer, too. The Republican got a promotion. She is now Donald Trump’s Secretary of Labor.
Janelle Bynum is running for her second term in Congress. We do not know who her opponent will be. Despite what had been a lifetime as a businesswoman – working for a large corporation and owning franchises. She saw herself as a disrupter in the private and public sector.
Here is the kind of disrupter Janelle Bynum sees herself as. She notices small things she would change. If she could she would change the seating arrangements of legislative committees in Congress. In Oregon, the Democrats and Republicans sat Republican next to Democrat and they got to know each other. In Congress, the Republicans sit on one side, the Democrats on the other. Janelle Bynum says she believes in “incremental wins.”
Janelle Bynum has some areas where she would like to see some wins. “the status quo in this country needed to be disrupted. Our kids can’t buy houses these days, they have student debt, and even [for] our seniors, rent is rising faster than their Social Security is keeping up with.” Janelle Bynum is dismayed at what the President is doing to valuable entities in the country and for that matter, what her former opponent is doing to institutions essential for workers: “OSHA is a real thing. We shouldn’t have such burdensome regulations that businesses can’t function, but it is important for people to come home after an honest day’s work unharmed. And so I just think [the Secretary of Labor’s] view of the world isn’t [as] genuine as she proposes it to be, and I don’t think there’s much there there.”
Janelle Bynum is clear enough about her issues. Address housing affordability and end homelessness, create a well-run economy while addressing the climate issue, lower the cost of health care while ensuring that women can make their own decisions about the health care they need. Janelle Bynum introduces herself as someone who helps others get ahead.
DONATE to Janelle Bynum. By July 1, she had $850,000 available. That is a good start. I do not yet have October 1 figures.
Other West Coast races to donate to.
A Non California race. In addition to Janelle Bynum’s Oregon 05 race, consider Marie G. Perez in Washington 03
Washington 03
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is the daughter of a Mexican born Spanish language pastor in Texas and a homeschooling mom with Washington State roots. After graduating from a. public high school, Marie G. Perezfound an alternative college in North Carolina and transferred to Reed College in Oregon. When she told her parents she was no longer attending church, they told her they were no longer supporting her financially. She worked three jobs at Reed found a bicycle repair boyfriend, and developed a vision as a conservative Democrat – pro choice and pro the LGBTQ community, reluctant to regulate guns, and clear about policing the southern border. She married the bicycle repairman, started and ran an automobile repair shop with him, ran for office unsuccessfully a couple of times, then was elected to Congress from a Republican district by defeating an extreme right candidate who had defeated the moderate Republican incumbent. She won again in 2024 and needs help in 2026. We don’t know who her opponent will be, but it will not be the same extremist. DONATE See Len’s Political Note #757.
California is uncertain, complicated. The information below repeats the information from Len’s Political Note #757.
Proposition 50. Submitted to the people by Governor Gavin Newsom and passed by the legislature by two-thirds majorities, it is intended to be California’s response to Texas’s attempt to redistrict to flip five Democratic seats. Support Proposition 50. A national mandate to require non-partisan redistricting in every state would be better. Without such a mandate, Governor Newsom’s willingness to respond to the Texas action is both admirable and essential. Help Proposition 50 pass so California can flip 5 Republican seats. DONATE NOW. The referendum is on November 4, 2025. Democrats need a win here.
Below are California districts which the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics describes as “key” districts. The first group has Democratic incumbents. They are in order, with the least Democratic districts after redistricting first. The competitiveness is based on the University of Virginia’s calculation of what the margin would have been for the top of the Democratic ticket in 2022 and 2024 if the newly created Congressional districts were in effect.
California 13 Incumbent Adam Gray was elected in 2024 by 187 votes. Proposition 50 redistricting would make substantial changes in his district, but create a new one which would be a Toss Up. With resources and effort, Adam Gray could win again in 2026. He is a man who preferred politics to his family’s dairy supply business. He worked as a staff member in the Assembly before being elected to the Assembly. In the Assembly and in Congress, he saw himself as a bipartisan problem solve who brought resources to his home district. One likely opponent is Republican small city Mayor and DOGE advocate Javier Lopez. Help Adam Gray remain in Congress. DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #716.
California 45 Incumbent Derek Tran. A winner by .2% in 2024, Proposition 50 redistricting would make this a Tilt Democratic district. The child of Vietnamese refugees, Derek Tran is a local attorney who specialized in consumer issues and opposes the depredations of large corporations. We do not know who his opponent will be in 2026, but early money now is a big deal. DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #717
California 21 Incumbent Jim Costa is 73 years old, not quite old enough to be targeted by David Hogg’s Leaders We Deserve youth movement. He was first elected to Congress in 2004. The child of Portuguese immigrants, he attended a local parochial school which moved him toward attending college. Supportive of immigrants, women’s rights, and high speed rail, his conservatism emerged with his caution about the Affordable Care Act and caution about government involvement in regulating agriculture. He won reelection by 5% in 2024. Proposition 50 revises his district but the revision keeps his district as Lean Democrat. Help him. DONATE to his campaign.
California 25 Incumbent Raul Ruiz won reelection in 2024 by 12.6 points. Proposition 50 projects him to be a less comfortable winner – Lean Democratic. Raul Ruiz’ life has been marked by changes of fortune and his own hard work. Adopted by his aunt in California, the wife of a farm laborer, when his mother died shortly after he was born in Mexico, he was an academic success. After getting a BA from UCLA, he went east to Harvard where he earned an MD, an MPP (Policy), and an MPH (Health). Back in California practicing medicine, he ran for Congress in 2012 defeating Mary Bono (Sonny’s widow) in a district that was rapidly becoming heavily Hispanic. He has a record as a progressive Democrat. Two Republicans have emerged as opponents. Help him adjust to a more competitive district. DONATE.
California 49. Incumbent Mike Levin was initially elected to Congress in the 2018 Democratic wave. The child of a Jewish father and a Mexican American Catholic mother, he graduated from Loyola High School in Los Angeles. As an attorney, he specialized in environmental law, founding a trade group for those involved in green energy. He supports women’s right to reproductive health, LGBTQ rights, gun safety including an assault weapons ban, but is primarily focused on addressing climate change. He was elected by a margin of more than 4% in 2024. With the Proposition 50 changes, the district would move from Tilt to Lean Democratic. DONATE. Keep him ahead of the game early. DONATE
CA 47 Dave Min is the child of Korean immigrants, academics who were getting doctorates at Brown when he was born. He is Katie Porter’s replacement – a progressive expert on banking law. He was an SEC attorney, the banking counsel for Chuck Schumer, and became a law professor at the University of California, Irvine as Katie Porter was leaving that same school. He served a stint in the State Senate and was elected to the House to fill the seat that Katie Porter left to run for the US Senate. One opponent has surfaced so far, a business consultant. Dave Min was elected by a margin of less than 3% in 2024, but, Proposition 50 would shift the district from Tilt to Lean Democratic. DONATE. Keep him ahead of the game early.
California 27. Incumbent George Whitesides. The former chief of staff to the head of NASA and former CEO of Virgin Galactica is a business oriented scientist, son of an internationally known chemist father and distinguished Egyptologist mother. A co-founder of a wildfire prevention organization, he returned to help deal with the California wildfires. In Congress, he has supported space exploration, energy alternatives, and conservation. He was elected by a 2.9% margin, flipping a Republican seat. With Proposition 50, the district moves from Tilt to Lean Democratic. DONATE. Keep him ahead of the game early.
California 09 Incumbent Josh Harder may be the Democratic incumbent for whom Proposition 50 makes the most difference. Winner by a vulnerable 3.6% in 2024, the impact of Proposition 50 would shift the district from Tilt to Likely Democratic.. Josh Harder flipped a Republican seat in 2018. A local, he descends from early California peach farmers. In high school, he interned for the Congressman he defeated when he was a state senator. A graduate of Stanford, Harvard Business School, and Harvard’s Kennedy School, Josh Harder abandoned a lucrative career for politics. As a Congressman, he protected local interests and defied the governor by getting Congress to vote to prohibit the construction of a tunnel to carry water past the local agricultural area. DONATE. Keep him ahead of the game.
Passage of Proposition 50 would leave California incumbent Democratic Members of Congress about vulnerable as they were or less vulnerable. Democrats may be able to hold these incumbencies. Can Democrats flip Republican seats? That is what Proposition 50 is for. I do not have donation recommendations for Democratic challenger yet. Unless front runners emerge, I usually wait until the June multi-party primary to know which Democrat to support. For now, though, I will tell you what I can.
California 22 Republican Incumbent David Valadao won in 2024 with a margin of 6.8 percent. If Proposition 50 passes his district would become a Toss Up. David Valadao is the son of Portuguese immigrants who created a dairy farm that eventually got in trouble on two counts when David Valadao was an adult partner. The farm went bankrupt and it was found to have cheated employees by not paying minimum wage. In Congress, he has insisted that California’s drought has nothing to do with global warming, has voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and supported the Republican tax cuts. He has, however, voted for Donald Trump’s impeachment, opposed Trump’s most drastic acts against immigrants such as separating children from parents, and opposed limitations on Medicaid. Two Democrats have announced. More will announce after Proposition 50 passes, and the DCCC may have to select a favorite to avoid having the top two candidates be Republicans.
California 48 Republican incumbent Darrell Issa was elected in 2024 with a margin of 18.6 points. If Proposition 50 passes, this would become a Toss Up district. Issa is among the wealthiest members of the House of Representatives. He grew up in Cleveland, the son of a Lebanese Maronite Catholic father and a Mormon mother of Central European descent. He dropped out of high school and joined the army where he was trained to defuse bombs. He made a small fortune turning a friend’s electronics business into selling car alarms. He made a larger fortune in California real estate. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2000, Years later, an ethics complaint charged that he used his position as Oversight Committee chair on his own behalf – not a shocking allegation against a man who, in his younger days, was indicted twice and suspected of burning down his first shop for the insurance. Several Democrats have expressed interest in running. More will announce after Proposition 50 passes, and the DCCC may have to select a favorite to avoid having the top two candidates be Republicans. Issa may choose to run in a more Republican district.
California 03. Republican incumbent Kevin Kiley was elected in 2024 with a margin of 11 points. If Proposition 50 passes, he would find himself in a Lean Democratic district. He has acknowledged the reality of climate change, but has opposed remedies. He has opposed implementing vaccination requirements and refused to acknowledge Joe Biden’s victory in 2020. Two Democrats have announced. More will announce after Proposition 50 passes, and the DCCC may have to select a favorite to avoid having the top two candidates be Republicans.
California 01. Republican incumbent Doug LaMalfa was elected in 2024 with a margin of 30.6 points. If Proposition 50 passes, he would be in a Lean Democratic district. He has opposed affirmative action, same sex marriage, and gun safety measures. California 01 is a district likely to be flipped Democratic. Two Democrats have announced. More will announce after Proposition 50 passes, and the DCCC may have to select a favorite to avoid having the top two candidates be Republicans.
California 41. Republican incumbent Ken Calvert was elected in 1982 and at 72 years old is a little young to be a focus of a movement to elect younger people. His margin of victory in 2024 was 3.4%. Proposition 50would make his district Likely Democratic. Ken Calvert is almost always a proponent of tax cuts. He has been particularly opposed to members of the LGBTQ community. And it would not be a surprise if he decided to run in another district. Democrats already have six people who have announced. The DCCC may have to select a favorite to avoid having the top two candidates be Republicans.
What do we make of the effect of Proposition 50 in comparison with Texas? In Texas it would not be a shock if the two south Texas districts 28 and 34 remain Democratic, leaving Texas having redistricted and gained only 3 new Republican seats. It is even possible that Democrats could flip Texas 15 and leave the state with a net gain of 2 Republicans. A pro-Democratic optimistic outlook, though, would be a net of 3 Democratic seats flipped Republican.
And California? Proposition 50 leaves us with 8 incumbents of “key” districts:
1 Democratic incumbent in a Toss up district (CA 13)
1 Democratic incumbent in a Tilt Democratic district. (CA 45)
5 Democratic incumbents as Lean D (CA 21, CA 25, CA 27, CA 47, and CA 49)
1 Democratic incumbent as Likely Democratic (CA 09)
And Republican incumbents who could be flipped
2 Republican incumbent in Toss Up districts (CA 22 and CA 48)
2 Republican incumbents in Lean Democratic districts (CA 01 and CA 03)
1 Republican incumbent in a Likely Democratic district (CA 41)
1 more Republican incumbent not reported above in a Safe R district (CA 40)
If Texas has a net gain of 3 Republicans, California might match that with a net of 3 Republican seats flipped. As the campaigns become clearer and certainly by the time of the California primary, I will have suggestions for Democratic candidates to support.
*A reader pointed out that I referred to Henry Cuellar as Henry Cisneros a few times in Len’s Political Note #757. I apologize for the error.
